Rented house, leaking garage and a slow landlord!

his8msl

Hi there,

We currently live in a rented house which includes a garage. The garage was central to us choosing the property as we have three push bikes. The garage however leaks horrendously and objects in the garage get very wet as a result. The landlord's agents are being very slow in repairing it (we reported it in about October). They have decided that it needs a total re-roofing and that they are going to get quotes to repair it. However they are being slow and I feel that we effectively have a part of the property we cannot use. Does anyone know if we have any rights to request a refund on rent or to ensure it happens very quickly?

Thanks,

Mike

clutton_2

no - you should not stop paying any of your rent - keep badgering the agent.

olly300

You must pay all your rent otherwise the landlord will have legal grounds for eviction.

Unfortuantely as a garage is not a legal necessity you can only badger them like clutton said.

I've found from friends' who have rented their properties out and former landlords who I've got friendly with, that managing agents often tell the landlord one thing while their tenants hear another thing, so I learnt while renting to try and rent from landlords that manage their own properties. Even this doesn't always encourage landords to do repairs as they may want current tenants to move out for a variety of reasons i.e. major renovations, selling property so the only effective thing you can do is move once your contract ends.